Here's How Much You Should Aim to Invest Every Year if You Want to Retire Comfortably

Planning for retirement can be challenging. There are many variables to consider, such as when you’ll retire, where you’ll live, and (of course) how much money you’ll need by then.

Due to inflation, many investors now expect that they’ll need more money to be able to retire comfortably than in previous years. In the past, the magic number was around $1 million, but according to a study from life insurance company Northwestern Mutual, the figure is now around $1.26 million.

Getting to that number may not be easy, but with regular annual investments, it is possible. Below, I’ll show you how much you would need to invest each year to build up your portfolio to be worth that much by the time you retire, and a top fund that can potentially help you attain above-average returns.

How much should you aim to invest each year?

The annual investment you’ll want to make each year to ensure you’re on target for retiring with $1.26 million will depend on the number of years you have until retirement, as well as what the average annual return on your investment will be. To accommodate a range of scenarios, I’ve created the table below that shows you how much you need to invest annually, based on varying growth rates and years until retirement.

Table and calculations by author.

This table assumes you retire at 65. And the more investing years you have left until then, the lower the annual investment would need to be.

If the numbers seem high, one option can be to plan to leave the money invested for a little longer than originally anticipated. This might mean delaying your retirement or perhaps just relying on other sources of income in the first few years, so that you can allow your portfolio to continue growing.

What the table also highlights is the importance of maximizing your future returns. There’s no surefire way to know what growth rate your portfolio will end up averaging over the long term, but one way to increase the chances that you’ll earn an above-average return is by going with a solid exchange-traded fund (ETF) that’s focused on growth. And I have just the ETF for that purpose.

A high-powered ETF that can be key to growing your portfolio

You can track the S&P 500, which is a collection of the top 500 stocks on the markets, through an index fund, and that’s a good way to steadily grow your portfolio over time. Historically, the index has averaged a 10% annual return. But if you’re planning to invest for decades, then going with growth stocks can be a better option to consider.

Growth stocks can be riskier, but in the long run, they can generate life-changing returns. If you think of stocks like Amazon or Tesla, for example, they are some of the most appealing stocks to own. While they can fall heavily when the market is crashing, they have delivered fantastic returns for investors over the long haul.

Instead of having to pick and choose which growth stocks to buy, you can also simplify the process by going with the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ -3.47%). This ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, which encompasses the top 100 nonfinancial stocks on the Nasdaq exchange. It’s an easy way to ensure you always have exposure to some of the best growth stocks in the world.

In the past five years, the Invesco fund has risen by 120%, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which tracks the S&P 500, is up around 100%. Even just a 1 percentage point change in your average annual growth rate can add up to a big difference when investing for the long haul. By going with a fund like the Invesco QQQ Trust, you can position yourself for some solid returns that can help you build up a comfortable nest egg by the time you retire.